A hunter in the field must often sit, stand or lie in a quiet position on the ground or in a tree in order to observe and harvest game animals, and so as to not make visible or audible disturbances that could frighten same. Accordingly, many hunters set up a ‘blind’; that is, a screened area that blends in with the environment, but from which a hunter can still observe his surroundings.
In addition to hunters, soldiers involved in field operations will often require camouflaged positions. In particular, such positions are selected high in trees or other structures in order to provide a vantage point for an observer or for a sniper.
For both hunters and soldiers, the basic requirements of portability, silence, minimal motion and minimal effort are desired in any device utilized for screening the hunter or soldier visually.
As such, various devices have been employed for the purpose of helping the hunter to blend in with his surroundings, to dampen slight sounds, and to provide a measure of protection from the elements. Early devices included buildings, trenches and the like. More recently, hunters have utilized fabric materials that can be installed over their tree stands, ground stands, or freely stand upon the ground. Typical such fabric materials carry a camouflage pattern thereon to facilitate blending into the scenery, thereby reducing the likelihood of game noticing and/or observing the hunter.
Moreover, hunters move from location to location following game trails or choosing better locations from which to observe their surroundings. Furthermore, it is desirable that a departing hunter avoid leaving behind any devices that could litter the environment. Accordingly, a hunter will typically transport the materials suitable for providing a blind around a selected location.
Devices that have been utilized as blinds include garments that extend to cover the hunter's head, body and feet, and which continue on over the ground to better blend in. Often, such a garment will have a facility for passage of the hunter's arms or of a weapon therethrough; thereby enabling the hunter to be in a ready position to acquire targeted game. However, although such devices are portable, most are suitable for single-person use only, and, due to bulkiness, can foul on tree limbs when climbing. Other devices utilized include screens or tent-like devices having support frames, wherein such frames are typically rigid or flexible poles that may be engaged to form a support structure. However, such devices inherently require the user to carry a plurality of rather thick and long poles necessary for construction of the support structure.
Still other devices have utilized telescoping poles for overall construction. However, such devices suffer from similar disadvantages, in that the poles are often of large diameter (greater than a half inch), and typically heavy and too cumbersome for convenient transport. This is particularly problematic for a hunter who must climb a tree and, with a minimum amount of motion and noise, assemble his/her blind around a tree stand.
Therefore, it is readily apparent that there is a need for a portable hunting blind that is lightweight and which can be easily and quietly assembled and disassembled with a minimum amount of movement.